Question

Compare and contrast the 13th amendment and the emancipation proclamation

Answer 1

The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves that were found in the rebel states in the South. It was used as a strategic device in the civil war as many slaves that escaped or that were liberated joined the Union Army in order to defeat the southerners. The Proclamation did not apply to slaves who were in the Union who had to become free either through state action or through the 13th Amendment which was ratified three years later

The 13th amendment was the official abolishing of slavery which became a part of the constitution. Since the proclamation was an executive order there was a chance that it might be ignored by southerners who believed in things like nullification or would rely on the supreme court to abolish this executive order. When the 13th amendment was passed, it became a constitutional thing that slavery was outlawed in all of the country, not just the southern states.